Anita Dimitriou, President of the Democratic Rally, set the tone by stepping down to preserve party unity, according to Onoufrios Koulla, the Democratic Rally’s executive director and press secretary, speaking on the “Alpha Kalimera” TV program, and when asked why Ms. Dimitriou did not see it through to the end, he stated that it was her own political decision and “is not based on anything else.”
“Talking to people, observing—as she herself said—their concern, their anxiety, the danger, if you will, of us becoming divided again, was something that had been troubling her all those previous days. Taking all this into account, she was ready—she said so right away—during the meeting, to ensure that everyone didn’t remain entrenched in their positions, and to be the first to show the way.”
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As reported, at the Political Bureau, Ms. Dimitriou said she would make an effort—as Mr. Pamporidis had also said—to meet at the President’s office to see if there was common ground.
“The ultimate goal would be to settle on a single candidate. That would be best. One could say it makes sense to settle on a single candidate, and for that candidate to be the party president. But in any case, she hasn’t entrenched herself in that position. And she said, ‘First of all, I myself am saying this: that I’m ready to step aside.’ Our effort must be to move forward united. Our goal must be to have a single candidate. If you insist—though this remains a possibility until October 26—no one has officially declared their candidacy at this time; this is a clarification we must make.”
When asked if he was aware of Ionas Nicolaou’s interest, he stated that someone else had contacted him on Mr. Nicolaou’s behalf, with Mr. Koulla noting that there is no need to send any documents to interested parties; instead, they can find them on the DISY website and print them out themselves.
“In my opinion, the president showed the way. She showed how we should all approach this process. She showed that we must all be prepared—and that legitimate internal party competition—to be legitimate—— personal ambition or aspiration can take a back seat for the good of the party so that we may move forward united, and she felt this and stated that this is, first and foremost, her own responsibility: to prevent any division and to show the path to unity.”
When asked to respond to media reports suggesting that there was intense behind-the-scenes activity involving Averof Neophytou and Frixos Koulermos playing significant roles, Mr. Koulla categorically denied the claims. When asked why Mr. Koulermos attended the meeting, he replied that Koulermos is a long-standing party official.
“It’s not forbidden. Mr. Koulermos has come many times; he’s a long-standing party official, we talk with him, and he has visited the party’s offices several times; he felt it was appropriate to attend this meeting as well, which had been called that day by the party chair following a meeting of the executive committee.”
Responding to a question about the role he played in that specific meeting, he states that this is not the case and that he knows firsthand noting that the Chairwoman’s decision from the previous day was already heading in that direction.
“Because I know this one thousand percent, I don’t think it was a coincidence that she came to the Executive Committee that morning and said that she would try to arrange this meeting. At the time we discussed this in the Executive Committee, when she said she would arrange this meeting, we didn’t even know if Mr. Pamboridis and Averof Neophytou’s schedules would allow them to meet on the same day. It could have been Friday—today.”
When asked whether, in the event that Giorgos Pamporidis receives the “nomination,” assurances have been obtained from Averof Neophytou that he will not run as an independent, Mr. Koulla stated that what became clear from Thursday’s meeting is that everyone is running within the party.
“That all procedures will be followed to the letter and the verdict of the tens of thousands of members will be respected. I believe it has been ensured that everyone will participate within the process and the result will be respected. This is the full understanding of yesterday’s meeting of the President’s initiative, in which she stated that, first and foremost, she herself felt the need to show the way forward—how we can unite, to show the way forward on how certain matters can be set aside, so that we can prioritize, above all else, the good of our party, which takes precedence over individual figures. She emphasized that, for her, the unity and cohesion of our party take precedence.”
Commenting on Annita Dimitriou’s announcement in the Pindarou corridor, she stated that at that moment she had considered that, as President of DISY, she had to express her interest.
“Normally, if you ask me, it should lead us to say that the party president has a political priority—not a statutory one, not anything else. That’s what we’ve been saying for many years anyway—that the party president always has the upper hand. In any case, she took everything into account—the risks, if you will, for the party, and the public’s concerns.”
When asked if she also took into account the risks to herself in the event she was not elected in the internal party elections, she states that no one can know for sure, but her answer is “no.”
“I appeal to our leaders and members. First and foremost, they must understand the process; it must be respected. There’s no point in having intense conflict between candidates or their campaign teams. Because that would undermine our final effort. Because what matters is what happens after the candidate is selected. We no longer need anyone—whether a former or current official—to pour fuel on the fire. All of us officials must act in a conciliatory manner.”
“Let’s be careful even with the last word we say—that’s what we need right now,” he points out.
“There’s no way to force anything on anyone. That’s why I’m calling on all officials—especially those who appear in public—to be careful about every word they use. Someone might now start saying, ‘I have this brilliant idea,’ and voice it publicly. Normally, they should discuss it within the party’s internal bodies. It’s not forbidden to speak about it publicly, but a little self-restraint is needed from everyone.”
He also notes that there is no enforcement mechanism in place if someone wants to break ranks, as Mr. Christodoulides did in 2023.
When asked if there had been an effort to field a candidate, Mr. Koulla stated that this was indeed the effort.
“That was the effort, and the President’s ultimate goal showed the way. However, it does not appear that the other two candidates, have the right to remain in their positions; if we have two, three, or more candidates on October 26, we will proceed to the pan-Cypriot electoral assembly at the end of November. That was the primary goal and it paved the way, says the vice president, but the broader message he conveyed to all of us— all the party officials and everyone in the party, is that precisely because the Democratic Alarm is about more than just individuals, it demonstrated in practice that unity takes precedence—the cohesion of the party takes precedence, not personal ambition.”
